Out There
by YarnSpinner
Summary: D


Title: Out There Author: The Yarnspinner Fandom: Petshop of Horrors **** Notes: This story is dedicated to the piece of trash who tried to make my friend and I get into his car. You, stranger, who claimed you needed new clothes. You, stranger, who wanted us to help you pick 'em out. This story is for you, you waste of space, for trying to get adolescents into your car and to who knows where. May you rot in prison.  
  
Um.basically I'm venting, ^_^ But hopefully it's an entertaining Petshop, Leon-oriented story.  
  
***  
  
"Oh, Jesus."  
  
Leon closed his eyes to the sight that greeted him behind the yellow crime scene tape. Taking deep, even breaths he steadied himself and opened his eyes once more. He controlled the urge to get sick all over his new shoes -which, dammit he'd paid a fortune for and wasn't about to ruin now.  
  
Lying before him on a blood-soaked mattress was a body - or, more correctly, was the remains of a human body. Pieces of flesh were torn away in ragged, bloody strips. Where a leg should be, there was nothing. Fingers were missing, sections of scalp were missing. Blood droplets sprayed the surrounding walls in various patterns- indicating one hell of a struggle. "We have an ID yet?" Leon asked to no one in particular.  
  
"Not yet," answered a young woman, who was busily collecting blood samples from around the room. " There was no ID on the body, and according to the hotel's records, nobody had this room checked out. But when we do have a positive ID, I'll let you know."  
  
Leon scratched the back of his head. "Any chance of fingerprints?"  
  
The woman shrugged. "Maybe. Find us a finger and we'll see."  
  
"Aw, jeez."  
  
__  
  
Leon set the report down on his desk and bit his bottom lip, deep in concentration. So, the vic was Joshua Claybourne. The name wasn't unfamiliar to Leon, for Joshua Claybourne was a common name around the station.  
  
Convicted on four counts of child abduction, Claybourne had been sentenced to 15-25. Not a heavy enough charge, but with lack of evidence it was all the prosecution could pull off. Problem was, Claybourne was convicted twelve years ago. Apparently his good behavior while incarcerated made some moron on a parole board think Claybourne was eligible. He was released two months ago, and hadn't missed a parole officer's check-in since last Tuesday. When he went missing, all departments were put on alert, yet nobody could find him.  
  
Leon had thought he'd just skipped town, rabbiting wasn't all that uncommon for perps with serious crimes against them. As if an abduction conviction wasn't enough, the rap sheet of petty thefts for Claybourne was a mile long.  
  
But that wasn't Leon's only problem. Claybourne's parole officer had made a note in his file that Joshua had bought a pet. A dog. He thought the responsibility would be good for him.  
  
// Oh, yeah, just what a convicted felon needs. A puppy. //  
  
And, sure enough, as he'd suspected, the pet was purchased in China Town. Well, Leon didn't have to be a genius to figure out which shop in China Town. Grabbing his well-worn leather jacket, Leon headed out.  
  
Jill watched him go and called out, "Leon?"  
  
He turned. "Yo."  
  
"Taking a little trip to China Town?" She asked, grin lifting her lips.  
  
Leon raised a brow but merely replied, "Yeah, I think the Count knows something about this whole Claybourne thing. Why?"  
  
Jill, always prepared, held up a box of cookies from a bakery not far from the station. "You forgot these."  
  
Leon felt a small blush tint his cheeks and he scratched the back of his head. "Oh. Yeah."  
  
_  
  
"So, you think my shop had something to do with his death?" Count D sat reclined against a red plush couch, sipping a cup of tea. Dressed in dark purple with silver threadwork along the hem of his cheongsam, D was, as always, something to behold.  
  
"D, you know I do. I always do. And you always manage to slip through the cracks." Leon chomped on a cookie as D merely smiled. A triumphant smile, Leon suspected.  
  
"The thing is," Leon continued, "I really don't want to find this guy's killer. I could care less."  
  
D's attention seemed to be piqued, and he sat up a little straighter. "Detective, you do not wish to track down the killer? Why ever not?"  
  
Leon sighed, and polished off another cookie. "Because.this guy, he. well, it's like this, D. Joshua Claybourne was an asshole. I'm talking total trash, bottom of the barrel. Air was wasted on this guy."  
  
D nodded. "So, because of his former actions you do not wish to try and find his killer." If Leon noticed the amused glint in the Count's eye at the word 'try', he gave no notice.  
  
Leon shrugged. "Pretty much. But you don't know what this guy did, D. He'd lure little kids into his car, and drive them around the city. He'd take them to the park, the fair, wherever. Then. well, then that's where the police came in. We'd find them in a lake or a swamp the next day."  
  
There was a long pause, broken only by the fluttering of Q-chan's wings as he perched on D's shoulder.  
  
"They could never make the murders stick, either. Oh, they had witnesses saying they saw Claybourne asking kids to get in his car with him, but he was so smooth when it came to the murders. Nothing stuck. No DNA, no traces of anything, no prints, no fibres, no clues. And the worst part was that smug smile he wore when he was on the stand. Saying he'd never touched those kids. He was a damned liar."  
  
Leon seemed to be staring into space, inward, within himself. D merely sipped his tea and poured a fresh cup for Leon, whose tea had long since gone cold.  
  
"Would you say," said Count D, "that Mr.Claybourne got what he deserved?"  
  
Leon thought for a moment. "No," he finally said. "Whatever he got was too good for him. If it was his dog that did it, I should really owe you a thank-you, shouldn't I?"  
  
"If," replied D, "it was his dog, you owe me no thanks, Detective. The petshop assumes no responsibility."  
  
"Yeah, I know, I know." Leon shrugged himself into his jacket and stood. "Well, you can be sure I wont be asking you about this case anymore."  
  
D was pleased to hear this news, though he assumed a few more cases would pop up soon. "You're not going to solve it, Detective?"  
  
"Oh, I've solved it alright. Joshua Claybourne, cause of death unknown. Let's hope it stays that way. I'm just glad he's not prowling the streets anymore. I'm glad to know one more piece of scum is off the streets and in the ground. Now I know there's one less killer out there."  
  
__  
  
END! Well.that was morbid, no? 


End file.
